. . . the duo's playful work on Schumann's "Drei Fantasiestücke" bears out both Grimaud's assessment and the pair's shared sensibilities. Brahms' Sonata for Piano and Cello No.1 in E minor, though possessed of more gravitas, is more lightly dealt with than I've heard before, while they bring a questing spirit to Debussy's Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Gabetta's robust pizzicato work in the second movement and Grimaud's animated runs in the closing section both evoking the early jazz influence of the late Romantics.

Record Review /
Andy Gill,
Independent (London) / 13. October 2012

Two outstanding artists, pianist Helene Grimaud and the cellist Sol Gabetta give a really interesting recital on this album. It's very nicely played and features a good selection of music.

Record Review /
David Mellor,
Classic FM (London) / 26. October 2012

It's one of those recordings that has come out of a festival collaboration: those special environments when top players sometimes have the time and opportunity to find and work with a musical soul mate and that's what seems to have happened when cellist Sol Gabetta met pianist Hélène Grimaud at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad last year -- an experience they enjoyed so much they're recorded their recital in the studio. Schumann's Three Fantasy Pieces immediately offers the chance to hear exactly how they inspire one another . . . showing the interpretative license they allow each other, the immediacy of response and often a delightful lightness of touch.

Put on your headphones, close the door and soak in these direct-connection performances of Schumann, Brahms, Debussy and Shostakovich by pianist Grimaud and cellist Gabetta. Potent and thought-provoking, this disc carries an electric charge that exceeds the legal limit.

Both bestselling artists it's very easy to see why they've joined together to release this fabulous chamber music recording. There are four extremely different composers featured, each one calling for a completely different musical approach. What is particularly brilliant is that these two capture the essence of each composer and their world. Lyrical and light Debussy, heartwrenching Shostakovich, dark and brooding Brahms and the strangely whimsical Schumann. I look forward to hearing how this musical partnership matures over the coming years.

The duo recording captures the revelatory magic of their collaboration . . . A compelling album.

Record Review /
Gavin Engelbrecht,
Northern Echo / 22. November 2012

. . . their quixotic musical personalities do match; there's a lightness of touch and an element of spontaneity in Gabetta's playing that corresponds to the impulsive aspects of Grimaud's pianism, and their performances of both the Debussy Sonata and Schumann's Op 73 "Fantasiestücke" revel in that quicksilver agility . . . [Brahms E minor Sonata Op 38] benefits most; textures are transparent, climaxes never become overpowering, giving the music a buoyancy that seems very fresh.

The mood is set for the balance of the album, balancing the lyrical with the serious, and the strict collaboration of piano and cello as equal partners. Also set from the first notes is an atmosphere of elegant restraint . . . The two artists are particularly careful to sculpt long, arcing musical phrases, they breathe as one . . . Both artists have remarkable control over their instruments. Gabetta has a silken bow that turns steely only when absolutely necessary. Grimaud's clear, highly articulated playing finds the right emphasis. I particularly like how the album is not just a showcase for two great artists whose parts add up to something greater, but it also works as a beautiful, easy lesson in the evolution of emotional language in music from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century.

Record Review /
John Terauds,
Musical Toronto / 14. December 2012

Sol Gabetta has always had a singular ability to make the cello sing in an oddly delicate and feminine way -- truly satisfying and exciting contrast . . . Combined with Hélène Grimaud's image as the beautiful punk rocker of classical music, this disc has the potential to be something really unique. There is a lightness to all the performances that creates an engagingly lyrical sound that is pleasurable to listen to. This works particularly well, for instance, in the Debussy Sonata, the drive of which unfolds between them as if the music is properly in their blood . . . The middle line is most effectively trodden in the Schumann "Fantasy Pieces" and the Brahms Sonata. Here, the delicacy of the playing is put to greatest use -- the elegance of the Bachian fugues in the outer movements of the Brahms brings out the clarity of the lines and, as a result, the composer's own skill as a technician.

Record Review /
Caroline Gill,
Gramophone (London) / 01. January 2013

. . . [Brahms: Cello Sonata no. 1]: in the grand first movement, Hélène Grimaud produces a context of almost orchestral depth and spaciousness into which Gabetta projects her eloquently refined lines. Brahms's shadowy apprehension is given its full weight with steady tempos that never drag. The Allegretto is winsomely delicate . . . Gabetta's elegance and sense of improvisatory freedom are apt in Schumann's "Fantasiestücke" . . . Debussy's riveting Sonata benefits from Grimaud's depth of field and Gabetta's subtle palette of timbres, and the cellist's willingness to let her sound ring free . . . a highly engaging reading . . . A greater degree of risk-taking enlivens their Shostakovich Sonata, for which Gabetta finds her vicious streak, with thrilling results in the finale.

Sol Gabetta, the greatest cellist of her generation, and Hélène Grimaud, the world-class pianist. A musical dialogue between two giant classics. "Duo" is their first CD and it sounds: straightforward, clear, to the point. The Chamber Music surprise of the year.

In the CD it becomes clear how closely the new friends accepted their old friends . . . Grimaud is a famously independent "companion", Gabetta . . . a great listener. The pianist can cleverly hold back whilst the Cellist reacts to every fine movement of the pianist.

Hallucinatory fantasies in Schumann's "Fantasiestücke", vibrant generosity Brahms' in sonata op. 38, devastating impulses in Debussy and scathing irony in Shostakovich: the Argentinean cellist Sol Gabetta and Aix pianist Hélène Grimaud exemplify what Nietzsche called a "meeting of stars". The beauty of these performances lies in the intensity of the way the performers respond so intensely to each other.

The Three Fantasy Pieces of Schumann breathe generously, the first sonata of Brahms purrs deeply, a late sonata of Debussy goes between laughter and melancholy and, to top it all, an ardent sonata by Shostakovich in which the virtuosos brave embers and sparks with a feline agility.

In the fantasies of Robert Schumann, the two musicians reveal their full range of shades, from "soft and expressive", "bright and light" to "fast and brilliant" . . . Both artists are not seeking perfection, but rather the sparks of spontaneity that marks the outcome of their first collaboration . . . although it must be said, it is just perfect.

A dialogue full of grace and naturalness . . . The clash of two opposing personalities: in one, the fragile poetry of an inner world that belongs only to her, in the other, a sunny temperament and excitement for life, probably fed by her Argentine roots that are an extension to herself: her bow . . .